Fast Food

So, I am not a food blog. That is my sister's domain. However, I do enjoy cooking from time to time and I know that when I have my own kitchen and family I will be a cooking mommy. How do I know that? Well, my mommy was a cooking mommy. My mom worked full time for as long as I can recall but she still served a full meal every night. She wasn't a kid food person either. My sister, brother, and I ate whatever my mom was making for her and my dad. That is why I was the odd kid who liked spinach and brussel sprouts. We didn't each chicken nuggets or fish-sticks as a regular part of our diet.Fish-sticks we were reserved for Friday nights during Lent when my mom was making a seafood pasta meal (something I have never been able to stomach.) Fast food was very rare. It was either a treat for getting a shot or used during a long road trip to NC, MA, or Kentucky.(my mom is a huge fan of a road trip, I have seen many caverns and been to many places where George Washington spent the night) In any event even though my mother often worked till 7pm and all three of us played sports we had a real meal consisting (always) of a starch, normally two veggies, and a protein. Dessert wasn't guaranteed and was often fresh fruit.
Why I am writing about this is because I attended a panel discussion that infuriated me. My college picks a community book every year that is built into many classes. This years book was Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser. I loved this book. It is about the dark side of the fast food industry. It turns your stomach both on a food level and a marketing/employee relations level. In this panel discussion a young man argued that Fast Food is a necessary evil. No! A parent can serve their child healthy food. It may be harder for a parent to cook a real meal but parenting isn't supposed to be easy. Frozen veggies are just as expensive as fast food. I heard a man defending marketing to children. No! Marketing to me is one thing.I have the ability to see the comercial and logically say, "well, while that double cheeseburger looks delicious I know its loaded with calories and while those french fries look amazing I know they are deep fried in tallow (a beef by product) which isn't remotely heathly for me. A child cannot. I guess the point I am trying to make is that I know fast food is easy and tastes good. I get that. Some days I crave a cheeseburger, milkshake, and french fries. And once and while is fine. So long as the rest of the time you get excersise and eat healthy. But a lot of people don't. They see easy and yummy. But life isn't about the easy choices. It would be much easier to stay in bed and sleep in. To not spend time writing papers and studying for tests. But what are those choices doing to me in the long run? They are hurting me. Same as eating fast food on a regular basis. And when it comes to yummy. A salad is yummy. So is my Mom's soup. It is full of veggies and who grain pasta and lean beef. It is pretty healthy and beyond yummy. They make low sodium soups in containers you pop in the microwave for two minutes and while I am sure they are perfect they have to be better then whatever new burger is out on the market now.
Well, I am glad I got that out. I know this has nothing to do with shopping but I needed to rant for a moment.Thanks for listening.... err... reading... I'll get a shopping entry soon. Ciao for now!